Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-11-03
THE PANAMA CANAL
win IL Ever BE Finished?-The Outlook
Very DiseouraZfnc.

VIII il ever be finished This is the
one single, absorbing question now being
asked in the financial circles of Paris, and
no satisfactory answer Is being made to
it. not even by DE Lesseps himself. The
failure OF the last loan was much more
serious affair than was at first reported
De Lesseps called for $4J, 600. 900, but
the amount realized was only x2s. 900, 900,
although he had promised to repay $50, :
100000 aud allow 10 per cent interest
on what already had been advanced
The amount actually realized. however
was just sufficient to pay the interest and
other debt services on previous loans,
leaving nothing whatever for work On
the canal itself. When, therefore, it is
Just barely possible to raise money enough
TO pay interest on what has already been
borrowed, the outlook is black for any
further advance, and the fate of the
whole canal business is az good as settled
But this is not all. So many reports
have been circulated one way and an
other in regard to the enterprise-so
many that were false, misleading or i'm
poiAible--that the French government
itself sent an eminent financier, Leroy
Beaulieu, To examine into everything
connected with the work and report
accordingly. This report, just made
public has startled De Lessers' stock
holders almost beyond the power of
speech, and made not few of them
wrathful and accusing.
If the work goes ON no faster" says
Beaulieu. than it has in 1897. it will take
t,t-er,tv yAsra IN r..rnC,va n (t1iebra q
hill that Is almost q mountain. II it goes
on three times as fast it viii take SIX and
half years 10 finish the canal under the
bt.st possible circumstances.
Upon the subject Of finances. upon
which he is better abie to speak than
upon that Of engineering, his figures have
amazed every one. The total obligations
of the company on Aug. -. 1887, were
1894, 000, 900. for which 500, 800 900 Of
actual money had been obtained the diff
ference of Sl34, 800, 900 representing the
amount lost by discount, brokers' com
missions and other such like expenses.
The annual expense Of administration
and debt service that Is, the expenses
outside Of any work done on the canal
were $50. 600 900. Therefore, should the
work last six or eight years. and NJ
Beauleu Is unable TO see how II can b.
done in any shorter time. il will pile the
debt up 20 the cnorInous figure of 5000
900, 900 or more, the average interest on
which would he S51 600, 900, all of which
the canal would have 10 earn before the
stockholders could handle single dollar
in the way of dividends, to say nothing
of the outlay that might hage 70 be made
annually to keep the canal in good navi-
gable order.
When DE Lesseps undertook this gi-
gantic work, he estimated its entire cost
ut Sf20, 900. 900. Its obligations today
are 1894, 900, 900, and it is yet from some
six to eight years Of completion. There
seems to have been no head to the whole
business from beginning 10 end. Waste,
ignorance and extravaganza have been
frghtful. The route of the canal itself
appears never to have been properly gone
over in an engineering sense or sclentifi-
cally surveyed. Typographical skill APP
pears never to have been evoked in a SIN
gle instance to take advantage Of the
natural CONGREGATIONS of the ground. 1t
has been like great hole into which
money has been collected and dumped by
the millions. There is no more money
and not likely to be any more. If the
French government does not take hold Of
the enterprise and finish it, then most
surely will it never be finished. Kansas
CITY Times